Kizilbash

That video is of the Madrid bombings in Spain not the London train boming you monkey.

^Its too bad all that American ass-kissing couldn't get ya'll some decent pilots for your planes. Ahhh...you pakis and your pride :lol: Shhhhhh....its ok....its ok

Pakistan has its own airforce?

TEHRAN, Iran - Three strong earthquakes and several aftershocks reduced villages to rubble in western Iran early Friday, killing at least 66 people and injuring about 1,200 others, officials said. At least 13 tremors jolted the mountainous region throughout the night, Tehran University's Geophysics Institute said. The U.S. Geological Survey reported a 5.7-magnitude quake shortly before 5 a.m., followed by a 4.7-magnitude aftershock about 15 minutes later. The quakes were centered near Boroujerd and Doroud, two industrial centers about 210 miles southwest of Tehran, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported. The regional head of emergency response, Ali Barani, said about 200 villages were damaged, some flattened. Barani said hospitals in Doroud and Boroujerd were filled to capacity. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, visiting northern England, expressed her "deep sympathy" to the Iranians and offered assistance. The U.S. military provided aid after a devastating quake in southern Iran in 2003. Washington and Tehran have no diplomatic relations and currently are at a stalemate over U.S. accusations that Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons. Iran denies those charges. After the first quake struck, police in the city of Boroujerd and the town of Doroud toured the streets with loudspeakers, urging people to leave their homes before more temblors hit. The measure is believed to have contributed to a lower death toll than usual in Iran for quakes of this magnitude. Many people ran into the streets in panic and refused to return to their homes. "We are afraid to get back home. I spent the night with my family and guests in open space last night," Doroud resident Mahmoud Chaharmiri told The Associated Press by telephone. Television showed survivors standing next to their destroyed houses in villages north of Doroud. The ground was strewn with the carcasses of sheep and goats killed by the quake. Such quakes have killed thousands of Iranians in the past, especially in the countryside, where construction is often flimsy and many houses are built of mud bricks. But initial reports suggested the devastation was not so widespread this time. Officials called doctors and nurses on leave back to work. Iranians are celebrating Nowruz, or new year, and most government offices are closed and their staff on holiday. Barani told IRNA rescue teams had been sent to the region. He said survivors urgently needed blankets, tents and food. State-run television said 66 bodies had been recovered from houses destroyed in Silakhor, a region north of Doroud. The broadcast said 1,200 people were injured. Most people had been sleeping. In February 2005, a 6.4-magnitude quake in southern Iran killed 612 people and injured more than 1,400. A magnitude 6.6 quake flattened the historic southeastern city of Bam in the same region in December 2003, killing 26,000 people. Iran is located on seismic fault lines and is prone to earthquakes. On average, it experiences at least one slight earthquake every day. The area had been hit by a 4.7-magnitude quake the day before, according to the USGS, which monitors earthquakes around the world. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060331/ap_on_...i_ea/iran_quake

A meeting between the US and Iran over Iraq appears to be getting closer. The animosity between the two countries over Iran's nuclear activities has been well documented, but it appears both countries would have much to gain from a stable and secure Iraq. BBC regional analyst Pam O'Toole examines what the talks would mean for all sides What is the significance of the talks between the US and Iran? If they are held and publicly announced, it would be the first open, direct discussions between Washington and Tehran since shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran - although there were some contacts between the two sides after the fall of the Taleban in Afghanistan in 2001. Although both sides are insisting that the scope of the talks is very narrow, they would mark a breakthrough in relations. Could the talks between the US and Iran help stabilise Iraq? That is open to debate. Given their very different views and the recent rhetoric between them, some say the talks could amount to a dialogue of the deaf, with the two countries trading allegations and lecturing each other, but achieving very little. It is questionable how much Shia Iran could do to assist in damping down what is essentially a Sunni-led insurgency in Iraq, although it could perhaps offer to tighten its borders to prevent weapons getting through. It could also offer to try to use its long-standing ties with Iraq's rival Shia parties and groups to try to persuade them to reach agreement on the formation of a new government. However, even Iraqi Shia parties regarded as close to Iran might be reluctant to be seen to be bowing to Iranian pressure in what is essentially an internal Iraqi issue. What does Iran hope to gain from the talks? Recognition of its regional importance, for one thing. It has frequently complained that the United States tries to bully it and does not treat it as an equal partner. Having the US seek talks because Washington needs Tehran's help over Iraq demonstrates to its own population - and the international community - that Iran is a regional power to be reckoned with. There are also issues that Iran would like to take up with the United States - for instance, the continuing presence of members of Iran's main armed exiled opposition group, the Mujaheddin-e Khalq, in northern Iraq. However, the big question is whether Iran - or even the US - might eventually try to broaden the scope of these talks to include Iran's controversial nuclear programme, or other issues which could eventually lead to a deal on the nuclear question. So far, both insist that the discussions will be limited to Iraq. Some senior US officials have alleged that Iran's agreement to hold these talks with Washington is an attempt to divert international pressure over its nuclear programme, which is now under consideration by the UN Security Council. What are Iran's main goals in Iraq? Some say the Iranian government is secretly pleased that the United States has become bogged down in Iraq, which was to be the centrepiece of Washington's efforts to spread democracy in the Middle East. Iranian leaders have frequently made speeches alleging that Iraq's problems stem from the presence of American forces there. However, above all else, Iran wants to see Iraq remain united because it fears the possible consequences of fragmentation. If Iraq were to slide into civil war, that could lead to insurgents slipping over the border and creating instability in Iran. If Iraq broke up and an independent Kurdish state were to emerge in the north of Iraq, that could stir up separatist sentiments in Iran's already restless Kurdistan region. Tehran has historical links with some of the main Shia parties which dominate the new Iraqi parliament and has a vested interest in keeping a relatively strong, Shia-dominated administration in power there. It wants to see US forces withdraw from Iraq as quickly as possible, but not at the expense of stability. Iran and Iraq fought an eight-year war in the 1980s. While Tehran clearly does not want Iraq to descend into anarchy, it may quietly hope that it does not become too strong for fear it could pose a threat to Iran in the future. What influence do Iran's Shia clerics and establishment have in Iraq? The Iranian government sheltered and supported many Iraqi Shia opposition movements during the time of President Saddam Hussein, including two of the main religious parties, Sciri and Dawa. Many of these movements continue to have links with Tehran and it still has influence with them. The radical Iraqi Shia cleric, Moqtada Sadr, recently made an official visit to Tehran. His militia, the Mehdi Army, is influential both in southern Iraq and the Shia suburb of Sadr city in Baghdad. Iraq's most senior Shia cleric, Ayatollah Sistani, was born in Iran. However, despite their historical links with Tehran, many of these groups and individuals have not always seen eye-to-eye with Iran on a number of issues. Does Iran want a Shia theocracy in Iraq? The Iranian establishment might like to see that happen, but they probably also realise that it is not going to. Even Iraqi parties regarded as being close to Iran disagree with it on the issue of clerical rule. Ayatollah Sistani does not involve himself directly in politics, although he sometimes offers advice. He has stated his clear opposition to clerics becoming directly involved in politics or standing for office. The ayatollah exercises a powerful influence over Iraqi Shias. Is there any evidence Iran is helping insurgents? There have been a lot of allegations, but no firm evidence. The United States has frequently made general accusations of Iranian interference in Iraq. Its ambassador in Baghdad, Zalmay Khalilzad, told the Washington Post on 24 March 2006 that Iranian agents were training and arming Shia militias such as the Mehdi Army, which is loyal to Moqtada Sadr, and were also working closely with Sunni Arab-led insurgent forces, including Ansar al-Sunna. British Prime Minister Tony Blair recently suggested that either Iran, or its ally, Lebanon's Hezbollah, could be the source of sophisticated explosives used in roadside bombs in Iraq. However, Iran has always denied such allegations and says that Britain and the US have never produced evidence to back them up. Meanwhile, Tehran has accused Britain and the United States of trying to foment trouble in various parts of Iran - something they have also denied. What business interests does Iran have in Iraq? Iran has significant business interests in Iraq, although actual figures are difficult to obtain. There are many traders crossing the border into the largely Kurdish region of northern Iraq and, to a lesser extent, other parts of the country. Tens of thousands of Iranian pilgrims also cross into Iraq each year to visit holy Shia shrines in the south, providing a major source of income for Iraqi people in that region. If Iraq stabilises in the future, Iran has made it clear that it would like to invest in businesses there, such as car manufacturing. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4843570.stm

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The United States will talk to Iran about Washington's accusations of Iranian destabilization of Iraq, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Friday in the first public acceptance of an Iranian offer to meet. Iran, responding to an overture by Washington last November, said last week it was open to talks on the issue with the American ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, but until Rice's comments U.S. officials had given no firm reply. "I'm quite certain that at some point they will meet," Rice told a Washington news conference, referring to the planned talks. She added that they would be "at an appropriate time." Washington has charged Tehran with meddling in the sectarian strife in Iraq, an accusation denied by Iran, which blames the U.S.-led forces that invaded in 2003. While U.S. talks with Iran are unusual because the two countries have no diplomatic ties, Rice noted Khalilzad -- in his former role as U.S. envoy to Afghanistan -- had held meetings with Iranian officials about that country. Analysts say both the United States and Tehran are worried about worsening violence in Iraq, pushing them to agree to talks. Iraqi political sources have said they expected Khalilzad to meet Iran's representatives this week. Iran has not announced its team. Khalilzad has renewed accusations Iran is backing Shi'ite violence in Iraq. Some analysts say Tehran is using Iraq to deflect U.S. pressure on Iran over its nuclear program. "Training and supplying, direct or indirect, takes place, and that there is also provision of financial resources to people, to militias, and that there is presence of people associated with Revolutionary Guard and with MOIS (Iranian intelligence)," Khalilzad told the Washington Post. MEHDI ARMY He said he was particularly concerned about the Mehdi Army militia of Iranian-backed cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, and said the political parties had to do more to curb their armed supporters. Rice's confirmation of talks with Iran on neighboring Iraq came as Iraqi leaders held their first formal talks in several days, with Washington keeping up pressure on them to form a national unity government. Sectarian and insurgent violence saw 35 more people killed on Friday, with 20 deaths reported in Baghdad alone. In one attack, gunmen shot dead four workers in a bakery and left a booby trap package that killed a policeman when he opened it. A bomb killed five worshippers and wounded 17 as they left weekly prayers at a Sunni Muslim mosque at Khalis, north of the capital, police said. Gunmen shot dead four people in a Shi'ite home in Mahmudiya, south of Baghdad, police said. Two U.S. soldiers were killed on Thursday west of Baghdad, the military said in a statement. U.S forces said they were conducting major sweeps against insurgents around Baghdad's western Abu Ghraib suburb -- near where three Western hostages were rescued on Thursday -- and in several villages in and around the northern city of Kirkuk. Khalilzad, who has been a driving force in pressing for a unity government, said: "I am the one who's saying, 'The country is bleeding, you need to move'." He told the Washington Post that despite a suicide car bombing on Thursday that killed at least 25 people at a police headquarters, more people died in death squad-style sectarian killings in recent weeks than in bombings. The destruction of a Shi'ite shrine a month ago sparked a wave of reprisals that raised the prospect of pro-government Shi'ite militias launching Iraq into all-out civil war. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/iraq_dc;_ylt=Aq...zkxBHNlYwN0bQ--

Off topic; Mrs. Seddigh wears hijab whenever she leaves the country for races, public appearances etc. I think shes the only exception for a excellent female driver :P

NICOSIA -- Iran's best female racing car driver Laleh Seddigh was awarded on March 17 her International Racing Driving License during the BMW School Series at the Bahrain International Circuit in Manama. Seddigh, a PhD student from Tehran, is considered to be one of the most promising-ever racing drivers in Iran. She has even outperformed the best male racing drivers in the country. Seddigh's driving skills have earned her the nickname "a little Schumacher" after the German Formula One champion. Asked by the BBC how men felt about her success, Seddigh, 28, replied, "Most of them, I think, are jealous, and I don't care about that." "I am just going and going and hoping to be champion in the next years and I will really try to achieve that goal," she added. Seddigh said that she hoped that her example would inspire more women to take up car racing. Indeed, the sport is seen to be attracting growing numbers of Iranian women. http://metimes.com/articles/normal.php?Sto...21-055101-3010r

Ummm....you rhymed 'time' with 'time' like 10 times.

HQX files are "binhexed" (compressed) files. BINHEX is a file format used for data transfers on the internet. A BinHexed file usually has a ".hqx" extension. You need to download a utility on your computer that can decompress BinHex files, such as Stuffit Expander which has versions for both Mac and Windows. If you experience problems downloading make sure your browser is configured to read .hqx files by going to the Preferences and locating the list of Helper (or "File") Applications. Scroll down til you find the suffix ".hqx" and note which application is assigned to it. It should read "Stuffit". If not, use "Browse" to locate the Stuffit application on your computer. This page might also help you; http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?...BEN-US%3B164437

Yeah they have a lot of cool stuff on that site...you should check out some of the other articles they have...really fascinating stuff! I wonder if I could show this to my mum...maybe she'll let me sleep in more :angel: